Policy and Advocacy

Since its founding in 1902, the American Alpine Club has been a force in helping safeguard our country’s wild landscapes and natural treasures. Working alongside our members and partners, we focus on critical issues facing climbers and outdoor recreation nationally, such as keeping public lands pristine, wild, and open to human-powered recreation. All of us at the AAC find great joy and meaning in climbing, and we are committed to a thriving outdoor community sustained by healthy mountains and climbing landscapes for generations to come.

Our policy priorities

The future of climbing, and all outdoor recreation, depends on a bounty of healthy open spaces and the ability to visit and enjoy them. For this reason our policy focus areas are:

● Protecting Public Lands

To ensure that public lands remain public, that they are well-resourced and that important conservation tools (like the Antiquities Act) are preserved so climbers can continue to practice their craft on the lands we love.

● Ensuring Lands are Open for Human-Powered Recreation

To streamline and update exclusionary permitting policies to ensure that climbers, guides and other organizations can get the permits they need to provide facilitated climbing experiences.

● Safeguarding Fragile Mountain and Climbing Environments

To understand our mountain and climbing environments, to promote sustainable use and effective management and to bring awareness to the impacts of a changing climate on the landscapes that inspire us.